April - Sierra Club Florida

Suwannee-St.
Sierra
Johns Group
Club
Newsletter
Published monthly except June and August from Gainesville, Florida
VOLUME 43 • NUMBER 4 • APRIL 2013
Journey Over Transparency:
A History of Silver Springs
By Tom Berson
Silver Springs, the jewel in the
crown of Florida’s unparalleled
artesian spring system,
has been a celebrated tourist attraction
since the end of the Civil War.
Originally utilized by Americans as
a strategic outpost to monitor the
Seminoles on the Florida frontier,
it became the capstone of the iconic
Ocklawaha River journey, and
was lauded in national publications
by writers such as Harriet Beecher
A glass bottom boat tours Silver Springs. Photo courtesy of the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection.
Stowe. When rails replaced rivers as
the preferred means of transportation,
it briefly languished, but when
roads replaced rails, it enjoyed a
stunning renaissance and return to
national prominence. During the
past four decades, however, “Natures
Theme Park,” has struggled to
compete with other attractions and
it was recently announced that the
springs will be placed under public
stewardship later this year.
Drawing on work from my doctoral dissertation,
“Silver Springs:
The Florida Interior in the
American Imagination,” I
will discuss Silver Springs
as a place where nature and
culture recreated each other
and its role in the development
of the idea of Florida
as an American Eden. In
addition, I will look more
generally at the springs as
a symbol of interior Florida
as a distinct region that
can to be contrasted with
coastal Florida, instead of
the more conventional—and,
GenerAL meeTInG
Thursday, April 4, 7:30 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Gainesville
4225 NW 34th Street, Gainesville
JoUrney oVer
TrAnsPArenCy
TOM BERSON
PROFESSOR, SANTA FE COllEgE
I contend, much less valuable—North Florida
versus South Florida dichotomy that has
been in vogue for several generations.
Tom Berson currently teaches at Santa Fe
College. He received his doctorate from the
University of Florida, where he focused on
Florida environmental history as an Alumni
Fellow. A former journalist, he also holds a
M.A. from Florida State University in American
and Florida Studies. Previously, he taught
Florida and Environmental history classes as a
visiting professor at Stetson University.
CONSERVATION OBSERVATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
INNER CITY OUTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CUMBERLAND ISLAND: A MAGICAL PLACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 suwannee-st. Johns sierra Club April 2013
Chair’s Corner: We have met the enemy
By DAVe WILson
Soon after I moved to Florida
some 40 years ago, I attended a
talk by newscaster Roger Mudd,
where he expressed concern over the
Nixon administration undermining
the press. When asked why the public
failed to share his concern, he responded
(and I paraphrase): “People are busy
with their jobs, their kids, and changing
the oil in their car.” My thoughts at
the moment are that the environment
is suffering a similar neglect.
Most recently, on the evening of March
21, I attended a meeting at the gainesville
Country Club where members of the community
faced off with Sybec Solar. The issue
pitted sandhill crane habitat against renewable
energy in the form of 2.45 acres of solar
panels positioned on 9.18 acres of land on
the north side of Paynes Prairie. The panels
would produce electricity as part of gainesville
Regional Utilities popular Feed-in-tariff
(FIT) program.
gary Dounson, the project’s engineer, for-
mulated the debate as: If you don’t like the
solar panels, then we will place three large
estate-sized houses on the property. He tried
to sweeten the offer by suggesting that if the
solar panels were put into operation, then
the property would be ceded to the Alachua
County Trust in 20 years. While some residents
liked the project, others were violently
and vociferously opposed. While everyone
in the room loves the FIT program, they
simply feel the panels could be placed in
some other spot where the impact would be
minimized (e.g. The Cabot Koppers Superfund
site was suggested.). I present this event
not so much for its particulars, but as an
example of a general phenomenon of what
is happening around the state. Namely, big
business and big government are relentlessly
pushing their advantage.
As the chair of SSJ during the past 18
months, I have attended numerous meetings
where a project benefits the few at the
expense of the many. One example is the
$100 million project by the St. Johns River
Water Management District proposed for
“facilitating a stakeholder process to develop
prevention/recovery strategies for lake
Visit the national and Local
sierra Club Websites!
national: www.sierraclub.org Local: http://ssjsierra.org
suwannee-st Johns Group Chairs & executive Committee
Chair Dave Wilson 352-377-5250 dcwswamp@yahoo.com
Administrative Dwight Adams 352-378-5129 edwightadams@cox.net
Conservation Whitey Markle 352-595-5131 whmarkle@gmail.com
Program Chair Melanie Martin 352-246-3084 melaniemoksa@gmail.com
Newsletter Publisher Scott Camil 352-375-2563 scottcamil@gmail.com
Events Sherry Steiner 352-375-2563 sherrysteiner@att.net
legislative liaison Daniel Vazquez 352-870-6999 a.daniel.vazquez@gmail.com
ICO Maryvonne Devensky 352-871-1606 marydeven@yahoo.com
Secretary Daniel Vazquez 352-870-6999 a.daniel.vazquez@gmail.com
Treasurer Roberta gastmeyer 352-336-2404 rgastmeyer@bellsouth.net
Outings Tom Morris 352-373-0741 troglobyte46@yahoo.com
Newsletter Editor Jessica Newman 904-446-5588 jnew751@gmail.com
Environmental Education Daniel Freed 352-262-2555 danieljacksonfreed@gmail.com
legal Daniel Vazquez 352-870-6999 a.daniel.vazquez@gmail.com
Newsletter Design Jessica Newman 904-446-5588 jnew751@gmail.com
Webmaster Mike Wright 352-372-7975 mike@sugarfoot.org
Membership Roberta gastmeyer 352-336-2404 rgastmeyer@bellsouth.net
Publicity Peter Monte 352-642-2314 petejmonte@gmail.com
Fundraising giselle Zamorano 305-300-6248 gisellezamorano@gmail.com
Brooklyn and lake geneva in Clay County
and Cowpen lake and grandin lake in Putnam
County.” The four straw men solutions
involve pumping 20-22 million gallons of
water a day from the Ocklawaha River, Black
Creek, and wastewater from the Jacksonville
Electric Authority to refill these almost dry
lakes. A second example is the Florida Department
of Environmental Protection’s Silver
Springs Basin Management Action Plan
to discuss the vulnerability of the aquifer to
nitrate contamination from septic tanks and
wastewater treatment plants.
While these meetings are open to the public
,and local environmental leaders have
done everything within their power to slow
the juggernaut, attendance and participation
by the public has been weak and fragmented.
I could mention other such meetings, but am
out of space. If I am allowed to misquote Kurt
Vonnegut, I give you, “We could have saved
the Earth but we were too damned busy.”
In the words of Marshall Mcluhan, “There
are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We
are all crew.” In the words of our own Okefenokee
Pogo, “We have met the enemy and
he is us.”
FOLDING PARTY
Interested in hosting a newsletter folding
party? Contact Scott Camil at 375-2563
Suwannee-St. Johns group Sierra
Club Newsletter (UPS 317-370) is
published 10 months a year, except
June and August, by the Suwannee-
St. Johns group Sierra Club, PO Box
141693, gainesville, 32614-1693. Nonmember
subscription rate is $5.00.
Periodicals Postage Paid is paid at
the gainesville, Fl 32608 post office.
Postmaster: Send change of addresses
to SSJ SC Newsletter, P.O. Box 13951,
gainesville, Fl 32604, or to ssjsierra.
membership@gmail.com. Send both
your old and new addresses.
PLeAse ADDress ALL GenerAL
CorresPonDenCe For THe
sUWAnnee-sT. JoHns GroUP
oF THe sIerrA CLUB To: P.o.
BoX 13951, GAInesVILLe, FL
32604.

April 2013 suwannee-st. Johns sierra Club 3
Conservation Observations
By WHITey mArkLe
Another depressing month in the legislature:
Florida is officially sold out when it comes to
Numeric Nutrient Criteria, Fracking will soon
be standard procedure, even in the Everglades, and
Agriculture will not be held to the same consumptive
water use standards as will Joe Public.
What is amazing, but not surprising, is the fact that government
agencies lobby the elected representatives in an “us vs.
them” fashion: lobbyists pres-
sure the agencies, the agencies
pressure the legislature, usually
with bills that have been written
by the lobbyists. The sad
part is that we taxpayers foot
the bill for legislation that usually
hurts us.
The legislators hold public
“input” meetings after every
election or prior to each session
of the legislature. Hours
and hours of testimony, which
go unrecorded unless a tenacious
reporter happens to exert the energy to listen to it all, go
by the delegation under the direction of the most powerful legislator.
My favorite one is Senator Charlie Dean from Citrus
County, who apparently has heard everything possible from his
ever-growing constituency (He boasts that his State Senatorial
District is the “biggest district in Florida” (very similar to our
SSJ Sierra Club group… about the size of the state of Maryland).
His usual gesture, after a minute or so, especially if he
doesn’t care to hear the testimony, is to roll his right index finger,
signaling the “hurry up” for your closure… a very accommodating
individual.
Then the legislative session starts. Our representatives go to
the Capitol where they have lots of staff at their expense who do
“What is amazing, but not surprising, is the
fact that Government agencies lobby the
elected representatives in an “us vs. them”
fashion: Lobbyists pressure the agencies, the
agencies pressure the legislature, usually with
bills that have been written by the lobbyists.
The sad part is that we taxpayers foot the bill
for legislation that usually hurts us.”
the legwork and phone work, etc., as well as paid staff back at
the home office. These are the people who actually do the talking
with me and you.
When a legislator files a bill, it goes onto a docket and is
scheduled for reading in the committees the leadership assigns it
to. If a bill doesn’t have much traction, it may not even be read
in a committee.
Our job out here in the public is to wait and watch the bills
that are scheduled for reading or hearings in the various committees.
Sometimes, if we’re lucky, our environmental friends
alert us to the important bills. This is why networking with the
environmental community is
so important. Sometimes, we
can actually get ahead of a bill
that we don’t agree with and
mount an offensive against it.
The most effective method of
communication (if you have
time) is the letter. It’s timeconsuming
and somewhat
expensive, compared to email
and phone calls. Next is phone
calls, especially on short notice,
which is usually the case.
And then there is the email.
Some environmentalists believe the email is easily deleted, and I
wouldn’t be surprised. If you think about it, the legislator doesn’t
actually have to count yeas and nays as much as he does campaign
contributions.
Our biggest problem during the legislative session is communication
with our constituents. You never know what’s coming
up when. Not until the last hour of the last day of the session.
And it takes several days at least to notify our members of an
action, usually by email, which is about 1/3 of our membership
because email is given to us voluntarily by the members themselves.
Also, email is limited as to how much we can send out in
each period of time. Such is the difficulty of a Florida environmental
advocate.

4 suwannee-st. Johns sierra Club April 2013
Inner City Outings
Connecting Children with Nature
By mAryVonne DeVensky
On Saturday, March 16, seven students from
lake Forest Elementary School went on an
ICO outing to O’leno State Park in High
Springs. We were met there by Dan Rountree who
had organized the visit to the park. He had set up a
table covered with objects, typical of Northern Florida
Native ecology; a shell of a turtle, a piece of wood
eaten up by a beaver, as well as a sample of water
from the Santa Fe River with various larvae, dragonfly
larvae, and more swimming around. Showing the
kids various stones and clay samples,
he illustrated for them the geology of
Florida and explained the formation
of caves and sinkholes, and how the
water moves down to the aquifer.
Dan had brought with him various photos
of the park, photos he took right after Hurricane
Debbie in June 2012. The level of the
water had risen so high it was covering the path
where we were standing. The students took
these photos taken right after Hurricane Debbie
and as we moved along the trail they could
compare the level of the water then and now.
We saw beautiful native azaleas along the trail
and we watched various turtles sunning themselves
on logs in the river. As we walked on the
trail, we observed controlled burning being
done in the park.
Here are words written by one of the students,
Mark: “What I like about the park is
how they built the bridge. I have seen all types
of animals… maybe 20 pond gliders and paint-
ed turtles. The river was real long. There were some good fishing
spots… There were a lot of sinkholes in the park. Somebody was
fishing and caught a crayfish.”
After a picnic, we visited the nature center and could touch some
of the snakes, if we wanted to, of course. later on, we stopped and
hiked for a while on the Bellamy Road and read about the history
of the road. It is hard to imagine that this was a major road around
1850…
I want to thank Dan Rountree and Jason Fults for volunteering
on that day, as well as one of the parents. Many thanks also
to Compassionate Outreach Community Church for providing us
with a van and James, our driver.
A string of cypress trees along the Santa Fe River at O’Leno State Park. Photo courtesy of Phil’s 1stPix
on www.flickr.com through creative commons use.
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April 2013 suwannee-st. Johns sierra Club 5
Reportback from March Chapter Meeting
By BeTsy GrAss
I
have just returned from a rather
chilly trip up to lakeland,
for one of the Sierra Club Florida
Chapter meetings. There are
16 Sierra groups that make up the
Chapter. The leaders of the groups
are invited to the meeting of group
leaders and chapter leaders four
times a year. Meetings have a basic
theme like orientation for leaders,
training for committees, and election
of chapter officers. You can
also hear an update from the Sierra
staff in Florida about their work
and campaigns, and an update
from the Sierra Florida lobbyist.
The main topic of the March meeting
was orientation and support. Orientation
of new group leaders to who is who
in the chapter, what the priorities are and
what guidelines to follow for the year. Support
for groups, as in what help you can
ocklawaha Alliance meeting
April 9
Florida Defenders of the Environment,
Earthjustice, and the Florida Wildlife Federation
invite you to attend a meeting of
the Ocklawaha Alliance.
We will discuss strategies and solutions for
moving forward to remove Rodman Dam,
and restore a free-flowing Ocklawaha River.
When: 12:30PM, April 9, 2012
Where: leRoy Collins Main library, 200
West Park Avenue, Tallahassee, Fl 32301
get from chapter and national leaders and
what resources are available. The meeting
gives leaders a chance to see and talk to one
another and staff and chapter leaders, and
a chance tell their stories of success or the
trials of leading a group.
The Chapter also provides leader information
through the group Advisory Council
headed up by John Swingle. They hold
monthly conference calls on organization
topics such as Better Newsletters, Treasurer
Q&A, Website Tips, and How-To-Do sessions
on other group tasks. All are invited
to listen in on these calls. Contact John.
Swingle@florida.sierraclub.org to find out
more.
group leaders can move on to statewide
positions in the club if they have the inclination.
Debbie Matthews, former Chair of
Miami, volunteered last year on the Chapter
Executive Committee and is now the
Chapter Chair. Bev griffiths from Tampa
Bay works on the Chapter ExCom.
The Chapter can always use someone
willing to take the state-wide viewpoint
and work for conservation goals across
Florida. There are positions open on various
state committees and you don’t have
to be a leader in your own group to work
on state-wide issues. You can find out more
about the chapter at the website, florida.
sierraclub.org. Browse around, look for
committees (or check out “inside the chapter”).
The chapter is currently looking to
start a multi-media/social networking team
to make sure we have videos and pictures
and presentations on our issues, along
with blogging and facebook entries to get
our message across. If you are interested in
volunteering for that work, email treehuggerdeb@yahoo.com,
or tom.larson@florida.
sierraclub.org.
Finally, a reminder that the Florida legislative
session is starting and our lobbyist
will be passing us info on bills coming up
and giving you the opportunity to lobby for
our environment. We could use some more
people willing to write and make phone
calls during the session. Read up on this at
florida.sierraclub.org/legislative.asp and be
sure to sign up for the lobbyists listserv to
get in on the action.
Writing, editing or design experience?
The SSJ Sierra Club newsletter needs
yoU!
Contact newsletter editor Jessica Newman at
jnew751@gmail.com if you’re interested
in learning more.

6 suwannee-st. Johns sierra Club April 2013
Cumberland Island: A Magical Place
By DAVe WILson
Cumberland Island
is a magical place.
Nowhere in the
Southeastern United
States will you find such
an expansive tract of untouched
white fine sandy
beach, history and lore
stretching back hundreds
of years, and quiet. No
crowds, cars, or condos
detract from this wilderness
experience.
On Feb. 15,, a dozen Sierrans
congregated at the ferry
and sailed over to the island.
Despite cold windy weather,
we walked on a beach where
water birds abounded. In
addition to a beach walk,
we enjoyed a presentation by our delightful
tour guide, where she forced
us take on the roles of Chief Tomochichi,
his nephew Toonahowie, William
Augustus (the Duke of Cumberland),
and Mr. and Mrs. James Edward
Oglethorpe.
We also learned how Oglethorpe
built Dungeness as a hunting lodge.
Photos by Dave Wilson.
Many famous names in our country’s
history visited the island including
Henry “light-Horse Harry” lee
(1756-1818), his son Robert E. lee
(1807-1870), William Bartram (1739
–1823), and Nathanael greene (1742-
1786). In the 1880s, steel magnate
Thomas Carnegie (1843-1886) and
his wife lucy sought to escape the foul
Pittsburgh air and built Dungeness.
Thomas died before it was completed.
Cumberland lore is filled with the
lives, loves, fortunes, and funerals of
the rich and famous.
Despite a distinct lack of experience
from some of the members of our
group, we enjoyed an overnight at Sea
Camp. Fortunately, the Park Service
provides carts to carry “stuff” the onemile
distance from the boat dock to
our camping spot. Since many in our
group had never been to Cumberland
before and several had never even been
camping before, they had lots of stuff.
Despite inexperience and cold weather,
our entire group enjoyed visiting
the old burned out ruins of Dungeness,
the graveyard, and the beach.
A number of people from our group
were particularly enchanted by their
encounters with the wild horses.
As always, the food and company
were the highlight of the trip.

April 2013 suwannee-st. Johns sierra Club 7
First Annual Suwannee River
Paddling Festival
Join Paddle Florida, Inc., the Florida Park Service,
regional businesses and organizations in bringing
the first Suwannee River Paddling Festival to the
Suwannee River!
Scheduled for April 5-7, the event will start at the Spirit of the
Suwannee Music Park and Campground and travel to the Suwannee
River State Park.
The Suwannee River Paddling Festival will attract eco-tourists to
the Suwannee River Valley, promote paddling in the region, educate
citizens about Florida’s water, and raise funds for springs restoration.
The event is modeled after the successful Calusa Blueway Paddling
Festival held in Fort Myers each fall and will create a spring
event to build ecotourism in the North Florida area.
The Festival will open Friday at 3 p.m. with a benefit concert featuring
Florida performers who have participated in Paddle Florida
events. Supported trip options on Saturday and Sunday will offer
participants the opportunity to paddle the winding Suwannee River
along 20-miles, passing several springs along the way.
Friday, April 5: Benefit Concert from 3-10 p.m. with music from
Tammerlin, Tom Shed, Magda Hiller, and grant Peeples
saturday, April 6: 20 miles. Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park to
Suwannee River State Park (Saturday night campsite)
sunday, April 7: 12 miles. Shuttle to Madison Blue Springs on the
neighboring Withlacoochee River, then paddle down the Withlacoochee
back to Suwannee River State Park.
Boat and paddler shuttles provided.
Saturday evening’s program at Suwannee River State Park will include
a Water Expo showcasing conservation efforts, educational
speakers, and local outdoor recreation vendors.
Music lovers can enjoy the benefit concert for $25 (advance ticket
purchased online) or $30 (purchased at the door). Proceeds from
the concert will benefit Paddle Florida and the Florida Springs Institute.
Paddlers may camp for $20 per night and purchase a $50 meal
plan, which will cover meals for the weekend. No charge for day
paddlers, either on Saturday or Sunday, unless you need the shuttle
service. Complete shuttle service for paddler, boat, and gear is $20/
person. Weekend paid participants will receive an event t-shirt, boat
sticker, reusable water bottle, plus useful area trail maps and other
local welcoming offers.
Package deals also are available: $95 for one, or $170 for two. (includes
2 nights camping/meals/concert) Optional shuttle service:
$20.
For more information, visit paddleflorida.org/festival.
The Suwannee River. (top) Photo by Katy Warner, courtesy of creative commons
use. (bottom) Photo by Bev Norton, courtesy of creative commons use.

Suwannee-St. Johns group
Sierra Club
NEWSlETTER
P.O. Box 13951
gainesville Fl 32604
Explore, enjoy and protect the planet
APRIl 2013 CAlENDAR OF EVENTS
APRIL 4—SSJ General Meeting, Thursday, 7-9:30 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship of Gainesville. See Pg. 1 for details.
APRIL 5-7— First Annual Suwannee River Paddling Fest. See Pg. 7 for more details.
APRIL 9— Ocklawaha Alliance meeting in Tallahassee, 12:30 p.m. See Pg. 5 for more
details.
APRIL 11— SSJ Sierra Club Executive Committee meeting, Thursday, 7p.m., at the
Alachua County Housing Authority Conference Room in Gainesville.
APRIL 25—Folding Party for the April SSJ Newsletter, 7p.m. Contact Scott Camil
at352-375-2563 for more information.
SSJ Sierra Club
is on the web
http://ssjsierra.org/
Periodicals
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